1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an environmental chamber used to test hard disk drives.
2. Prior Art
Hard disk drives include a plurality of transducers that are magnetically coupled to a number of rotating magnetic disks. The transducers write and read information by magnetizing and sensing the magnetic field of the disks. The transducers are typically integrated into heads that are mounted to suspension arms. The suspension arms are attached to an actuator arm. Information is typically stored within data sectors located in annular tracks of the disks. The actuator arm is attached to a voice coil motor that can be energized to move the transducers to different tracks of the disks.
Each head has an air bearing surface that cooperates with an air flow generated by the rotating disks to create an air bearing between the transducers and the disk surface. The air bearing prevents mechanical wear between the disk and the head. It is desirable to minimize the air bearing gap to optimize between magnetic coupling between the transducer and interference with the disk surface.
Disk drives are typically used in environments with varying temperatures, vibration, etc. Additionally, the disk drive may be exposed to contaminants that become deposited on the disk surfaces and degrade the performance of the drive. Most disk drives contain one or more filters that filter contaminates from the drive.
When designing a hard disk drive it is desirable to test design prototypes to determine certain performance characteristics during changing environmental conditions. Disk drives are typically placed within an environmental chamber that can heat, vibrate and provide a shock load to the drive.
One embodiment of the present invention is an environmental chamber that contains a first chamber that is separated from a second chamber by a shutter. A device under test can be placed in the first chamber and exposed to contaminants introduced from the second chamber through the shutter.